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Topic Review (Newest First)

07-26-2013 11:22 PM

outbound

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

Good luck.

07-25-2013 03:01 PM

eherlihy

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

All,

An invitation to meet at the Barrington Yacht Club has been extended to me and my wife.

I think you are way off course. We belong to two clubs, one of which has fairly stringent membership requirements and vetting and one that will accept virtually any warm body that can make it to the front door. When we joined both Clubs (but not at the same time) they were "Sailing" yacht clubs, devoted to the sport and the avocation. One had no power boaters at the time (and still has few) and only a few non-boat owners, most of whom had been sailors when they joined but had given up their boats due to advanced age and/or infirmity, but never-the-less remained devoted to the Club and the sport. The second Club had only one power boat when we joined but, after almost 20 years is now dominated by power boaters, many trailering, virtually none of whom ever owned a sailboat, that are firmly devoted to the restaurant and bar. They are reinforced by a very large contingent of non-boat owners, few of whom having ever owned a boat, that are devoted to the "cheap" food and drink.

The first Club remains and thrives much as it was when we joined in the late '70's, devoted to sailing. The second Club has devolved to a Dining Society that focuses almost exclusively on food and drink and entertainment and views the marina as a source of subsidies for the restaurant, which looses money at a shocking rate. As a consequence, mooring rates are now approaching rates at nearby commercial marinas and many less well-to-do sailors have been driven out. We remain because we can afford it and because the marina is relatively well protected, which is an important consideration in southwest Florida but there are only a few of the members remaining from when we joined.

If a Yacht Club--or any social organization--wants to preserve itself as it was founded, it needs fairly stringent admission and vetting. Without, there is no telling how it might evolve but it certainly won't cleave to its founders' principals/intentions/mission. Having said the foregoing, I submit that our first Club--with more stringent admission requirements--remains the more welcoming of new sailors and does far more to promote the sport.

FWIW...

My only reason for the post was because I know Barrington, RI...not yacht clubs in general. It was actually more "tongue in cheek" if you are familiar with that town.

Many are posting from outside RI so they don't understand "Barrington lingo" . They require an invitation by a current member to ensure that you are the "type" they want in their club.

I would bet this is a real snob-a-torium (to quote Rodney) so good luck to the original poster. I am sure that if your wallet thickness and family crest are approved they will eventually find someone to sponsor you.

I think you are way off course. We belong to two clubs, one of which has fairly stringent membership requirements and vetting and one that will accept virtually any warm body that can make it to the front door. When we joined both Clubs (but not at the same time) they were "Sailing" yacht clubs, devoted to the sport and the avocation. One had no power boaters at the time (and still has few) and only a few non-boat owners, most of whom had been sailors when they joined but had given up their boats due to advanced age and/or infirmity, but never-the-less remained devoted to the Club and the sport. The second Club had only one power boat when we joined but, after almost 20 years is now dominated by power boaters, many trailering, virtually none of whom ever owned a sailboat, that are firmly devoted to the restaurant and bar. They are reinforced by a very large contingent of non-boat owners, few of whom having ever owned a boat, that are devoted to the "cheap" food and drink.

The first Club remains and thrives much as it was when we joined in the late '70's, devoted to sailing. The second Club has devolved to a Dining Society that focuses almost exclusively on food and drink and entertainment and views the marina as a source of subsidies for the restaurant, which looses money at a shocking rate. As a consequence, mooring rates are now approaching rates at nearby commercial marinas and many less well-to-do sailors have been driven out. We remain because we can afford it and because the marina is relatively well protected, which is an important consideration in southwest Florida but there are only a few of the members remaining from when we joined.

If a Yacht Club--or any social organization--wants to preserve itself as it was founded, it needs fairly stringent admission and vetting. Without, there is no telling how it might evolve but it certainly won't cleave to its founders' principals/intentions/mission. Having said the foregoing, I submit that our first Club--with more stringent admission requirements--remains the more welcoming of new sailors and does far more to promote the sport.

FWIW...

07-25-2013 11:47 AM

outbound

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

Curious? Why do you want to join? I'm around the corner and think it's beautiful but maybe tough to get in and out of.good yard next door from what I hear.

07-25-2013 10:47 AM

blutoyz

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

Many are posting from outside RI so they don't understand "Barrington lingo" . They require an invitation by a current member to ensure that you are the "type" they want in their club.

I would bet this is a real snob-a-torium (to quote Rodney) so good luck to the original poster. I am sure that if your wallet thickness and family crest are approved they will eventually find someone to sponsor you.

Again, my request is if anyone here is a member of the club. Reading the post above, you can see that it would be easy to submit an application (if it comes to that) if I were;

well written, and easy to read (WTF? It's a Yacht Club, not a Book Club)

a guest of a member, or former member of the club (in which case I would not be posting here).

I have written the Membership Committee Chair, and he stated that I need to be invited by a member of the club. I have also read their newsletter, where they have decreased the time that you need to be a member from 3 years to 1 "in order to broaden their reach in seeking out the most qualified prospective members."

It seems to me to be a catch 22. In order to join the club, you have to know someone who is in the club to invite you as their guest.

To me, the most logical way to meet people in the club, would be to attend an event at the club... which I can't do because I am not a member, nor do I know any members. Therefore, my post here...

Please PM me if you can help

Most clubs I have seen have "open house" type events. You get to go and enjoy a little BBQ and a soda and meet the crowd and see if you are interested in joining. But as Groucho Marx said "I would never be a member of any club that would let me join." or something like that. I have not heard any clubs that are that strict anymore, but then again it is Rhode Island so who knows. If it is a "working" club make sure you say you enjoy painting or cutting the grass that is usually a get in free pass!

I think the easiest way is to try to crew on someone's race boat. That would be a good way to meet a lot of members. Perhaps you could introduce yourself and ask to have your name put on a bulletin board for crew positions?

07-24-2013 08:06 PM

eherlihy

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

Again, my request is if anyone here is a member of the club. Reading the post above, you can see that it would be easy to submit an application (if it comes to that) if I were;

well written, and easy to read (WTF? It's a Yacht Club, not a Book Club)

a guest of a member, or former member of the club (in which case I would not be posting here).

I have written the Membership Committee Chair, and he stated that I need to be invited by a member of the club. I have also read their newsletter, where they have decreased the time that you need to be a member from 3 years to 1 "in order to broaden their reach in seeking out the most qualified prospective members."

It seems to me to be a catch 22. In order to join the club, you have to know someone who is in the club to invite you as their guest.

To me, the most logical way to meet people in the club, would be to attend an event at the club... which I can't do because I am not a member, nor do I know any members. Therefore, my post here...

Please PM me if you can help

07-24-2013 04:18 PM

rgscpat

Re: Barrington Yacht Club

For those replying -- no doubt the original poster is very familiar with Barrington's procedures. Their newsletter is on-line and accessible to the public and has lots of names of potential contacts, with yacht club e-mails for many:

Barrington Yacht Club is a “Yacht Club” and candidates are to be sought that have strong boating experience or desire and that will utilize all aspects of the Club, both on land and on the water. With this guideline in mind, several members of the committee review each application. During this review, we try to get an overall “feel” for the applicant, and we also ask several questions, such as the following:

Is the application well written and easy to read?

Are the sponsor and seconding letters well written and supportive of the applicant?

Based on the information provided, what type of member will the applicant be?

Are they interested in becoming actively involved in many facets of the club’s activities?

Have they previously been active in other organizations, suggesting that they are likely to be an active member at BYC?

Have they already been involved, to the extent that non-members can, in BYC activities (for example, frequent guest of BYC members for boating or social events, or a frequent crew member on Tuesday nights)?

What type and extent of boating experience does the applicant have?

What past yacht or other private club experience does the applicant have?

Are they a past BYC Member?

Are they a past or current boat owner?

If you have any questions about the membership process, or are a club
member who would like a membership application for a prospective member, please contact Oliver Tutt, Membership Committee Chair...

Their Membership chair replied to me and told me that they would love to have new members, but in order for me to apply, I would need to be sponsored by a member to submit an application. Because I have never been to the BYC, (well, I've seen the parking lot) I don't know who their members are...

Elsewhere in these forums I have seen people lament that interest in boating seems to be on the decline. I believe that part of the reason is that there is no clear roadmap for outsiders to find their way into many aspects of the boating community.

A friend of mine is a lifetime member of another yacht club in Massachusetts. He told me that the way that he gained access was that he knocked on the door one day, and the person that answered the door invited him in. Perhaps I should try this?

I have been invited to join several clubs in the Boston area, but, at this time, I don't want to keep my boat there.

Many clubs are actively interested in recruiting members that will enhance their operations/activities (and of course, help defray their overhead). I suggest you go on the Club's web site and get the email address of the the race fleet captain or the cruising fleet captain, depending upon which activity you are more interested in, and send him or her a note expressing your interest and giving a bit of your background. I suspect you will be invited to the Club for a visit and then perhaps invited to participate in a few activities whereby other members will get a chance to meet you and, possibly, your family. With that, I suspect an invitation to join the Club might be forthcoming. We have found the members of most clubs to be very welcoming.

FWIW...

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